After a long period QRT I managed to pick up this rig with Mutek front end fitted.
It required some minor adjustments (Carrier point and frequency) and while it was open I took the opportunity to modify the SSB audio so as not to cause splatter. - http://www.qsl.net/sm7ovk/ft225.html
To be honest whether you are talking about EME, tropo DX or VHF field day if you need a single band 2m rig I don't think there is another transceiver out there that will touch this for straight up performance.
Plug in boards, discrete components and plenty of service information ensure this is an easy rig to work on and maintain.

Before I say any more the FT-225 which i have has analogue frequency display,not digital like the 225RD but hey they are the same otherwise.

I have had this special radio now for 8 months,i used it many times before at its previous owners QTH. Out of all the vintage radios in the shack I am pretty sure its this radio I enjoy using the most.

The FT-225r is multimode and covers SSB,CW,FM and AM all in one built like a tank box. very easy to use and well laid out,VFO tuning is silky smooth and accurate. The rig does drift a little until warmed up but considering the age of the radio i can easily live with this.The radio has full capability for repeater operation,discriminator,agc fast and slow and TX/RX clarifiers, all of which are a dream to use.

The reciever on this rig is excellent,very sensitive which is great for 2m dx which i have used this beauty for, TX audio is superb and clean.Tx power is 25 Watts which is very adequate (depending on use). From SSB dx to FM local ragchews this is the rig to have with full 2m band coverage,noise blanker which has been effective and attenuator for strong signals. With a nice desk mic you can sit back and relax and use VOX.

This is a very reliable radio and not many of these come up for sale,if you find one in nice condition (even harder to find) then go and get it! Those of you who know this radio will be aware that there is an optional memory unit, but virtually impossible to find(i have only seen 1 advertised)If you do find the memory unit it is well worth having.

Overall if you buy one of these radios you will not be dissapointed,well worth the wait for.

To me this was the best 2m radio made.
Mine has the mutek front end and has out performed all other radios I have tried. It looks like a radio and is easy to repair and maintain. I use 2x6 element Jaybeam quads and the results are fantastic. Like so many I would really like to find the memory option board.

a) Requires an external tone encode unit for
accessing toned repeaters.
b) Low sources for parts. Yaesu USA no longer
has some of the knobs for these radios. Over
a period of time, some of the knobs develop
hairline cracks.
c) The earlier models appeared to have an issue
with the VFO or PLL circuit becoming unlocked
on the 144 MHz band section. This was
alleviated by increasing the PLL voltage to
1.8 volts.

These radios are hard to come by. The most elusive accessory is the memory module. I perfer using this radio over any other.

This set's great virtue is its plug-in boards, each for a separate module. It was an obvious step for Mutek to market an improved front end/mixer board (BF981,DBM). It also has excellent receive audio, people don't all sound the same on this set!

Designed for the American market, the 4MHz coverage is too much for us Europeans. I'm only concerned with the lowest 500kHz of the band. A simple pre-mix would have been adequate for this, instead of the PLL system employed.

Other mods suggested -

Remove the repeater board, replace with a choice of separate I.F. filters, CW, SSB wide, SSB narrow. Use the Repeater 'Nor-Rev-Off' switch. Move the af preamp needed for FM rx to the chassis if FM is required. Repeaters can still be used, although you've forfeited the tone burst facility.

Speed up the AGC constants, the 'slow' setting was unusable on my set.

Bored with 2m? Lousy qth for VHF? Try installing a fixed crystal for 7.825MHz and listen to the international space station on 143.625 FM.

160m operation!....
The VFO spans a range of 8.2-9.2 MHz; converted directly to the 10.7 IF, this affords you a range of 2.5MHz to 1.5MHz, although the VFO will tune 'backwards'. This is no great handicap, since the dial skirt is calibrated in 1kHz increments.
I suggest leaving the PA board in place, just make up new Front end, Exciter and jumpered premix/PLL boards. Feed the exciter signal out to a separate PA, or just enjoy some low power play. I say this, since my other wireless is an FT707 (sans top-band...)

Summing up, this is a great set that is outlasting the modern plastic-cased rigs, complete with their noisy synthesisers and unnecessary features. Big switches and pots also make it far easier to operate, compared to the smaller controls, which are necessary on a smaller radio. And this set has an internal psu. How can people sell radios without a power supply? Would you buy a television and expect to connect it to a separate 14V supply? !

My FT-225RD has been given some rough use as a mobile and has never missed a beat. I have had the chance to do a side-by-side comparison with an FT-736R(on 2m.)and there is little to choose between them.

My only desire for this radio is to find a memory board - a plug-in option. If you should know of one, or even a schematic please fire an E-mail my way.

This was a replacement for an FT-221 RD.I have owned one for five years and have never once regretted its purchase even after owning or using more modern equipment.It is reliable and looks like a radio, not a microwave oven like todays offerings.The only drawback is moving it from the house to the car as modern radios are so small. My birthday gift was a second FT-225RD. Need I say more!

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